The YMCA’s Weight Loss Program is not what you’re used to. Don’t expect strict regimens or prescriptions. You’ll find, instead, a small group of people helping each other on their journeys toward healthier, happier lives.
The idea started with Y members like you. As part of a member experience study, over half of participants reported that they came to the Y to feel better, have more energy, get healthier, lose weight, look better and continue to reach their wellness goals. Through this data, the Y saw an opportunity to better serve our members. So, the YMCA’s Weight Loss Program was born.
The framework of the program began with the YMCA of Greater Seattle and has now developed into facilitator-led discussions on balanced eating, food tracking, physical activity, attainable (SMART) goals, and healthy patterns. Because, as anyone who has tried losing weight can attest, consistency is what creates a healthier lifestyle beyond any quick fix.
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At the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, our 12-week program has yielded great results. Not only are participants like Darryl losing weight—17 pounds over the course of the program—but they are also sleeping better, stressing less, and spending more time being active with their families. Isn’t this at the core of why we do what we do?
Our program participants are becoming healthier in spirit, mind and body. In the process, they’re finding accountability and connection with others who have similar goals.
Here are three ways that our Weight Loss Program stands apart from the crowd:
1. It’s non-prescriptive.
Weight loss is very personal. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for the next. Our facilitators are here to offer tools and support for each person’s individual effort, so that the goals they create are not far-fetched—they’re attainable and achievable.
2. It uses the powerful mentality of a small group.
Participants have the opportunity to share ideas, barriers and successes with a few people, or with the whole group (our classes have no more than 20 people).
For example, Darryl enjoyed a glass of cranberry juice every day, and one participant recommended that he water down the juice to lower the amount of sugar. Now, he’s so used to watered-down juice that he can’t go back to drinking it straight. This small change has helped him meet his goals.
The Y has always believed that we are better together than we are alone, and sharing in a small group is another way we’re seeing those connections strengthen.
3. It redefines “weight loss.”
Every day, we’re bombarded with messages on losing weight—eat this, don’t eat that—and the messages change constantly. These fads have promoted the idea that there is one simple solution to weight loss out there, and it can be found and obtained. Our program challenges this perception. We teach participants that they hold the answers within themselves to achieve their weight loss goals.
Our program is designed for anyone over 18 who wants to live a healthier lifestyle. We’re here to support and facilitate your goals—but in the end, it is our participants who are changing their own lives, finding better health, sustaining progress and achieving success.